warning to all you globetrotters

[JimmyH155]

Going abroad soon, maybe Singapore or other Asian countries??
Passport up to date?? BEWARE. YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST A PASSPORT WITH MINIMUM OF SIX MONTHS TO GO AFTER DATE OF TRAVEL. Yes, it is just another way of confusing the travelling public, and what the motive is I do not know (More income I guess) Even the Australian Gov is in on the act I am told. Last week our son was due to fly out to Singapore to have a week with big brother. Had to postpone his booking for a few days whilst new passport application was filled in. And if you are a youngster just turned 18 and have an Aust passport with valid date, few months to run, again, BEWARE. It is invalid. AND Dont try and use your "junior" passport as photo id it wont work and they will cut it up in front of you - yes, a valid passport.
Got no drivers licence?? Tough, you aint got any photo id at all. You will now have to get TWO lots of endorsed photos, and a bank statement showing your address Then you will have to show your birth certificate, your father's residence status when you were born (you might be born of illegal immegrants) and others.
No folks - IT AINT EASY. Our son had all these things happen - what a traumatic few days I'm still exhausted now!!!

[renormalised (Carl)]

Makes it not worth going OS...having to put up with all the bureaucratic nonsense.

[toryglen-boy (Duncan)]

TBH, the rest of the world ('specially UK and Europe) has been like this for ages, and sometimes you cant book a flight, unless you have at least 6 months on it.

It all changed everywhere (and i mean everywhere) after September 11th

[Wavytone]

It has always been that way as long as I can remember, and it used to be written in the passports.

You only have yourself to blame, IMHO.

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by Wavytone

It has always been that way as long as I can remember, and it used to be written in the passports.

I agree, I've always thought that was the case.

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

Yes it has been the case for yonks unfortunately

still not pleasant to be caught out

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by Wavytone

You only have yourself to blame, IMHO.

Bit Harsh! IMHO!! A bit of "H" - humility aint a bad thing after all!
Give the guy a break...we're not all jetsetters well versed in the ways of visas and international travel on a daily basis.

[JimmyH155]

Allways been the case?? I think not. We are all being duped by Big Brother, to conform to his 'beneficial" instructions. if a passport expires in say july 2009 why should we need to now extend it another six months? My Mastercard expires in Feb 2010. Do I haveto realise that is really August 2009? We are being treated like halfwits. And Big Brother government is loving it. Keepthe populace in a state of fear (9/11) and they can control all of us.
They want to keep us wrapped in "Michelin Man" suits, and we are too stupid to rebel.

[toryglen-boy (Duncan)]

Originally Posted by JimmyH155

Allways been the case?? I think not. We are all being duped by Big Brother, to conform to his 'beneficial" instructions. if a passport expires in say july 2009 why should we need to now extend it another six months? My Mastercard expires in Feb 2010. Do I haveto realise that is really August 2009? We are being treated like halfwits. And Big Brother government is loving it. Keepthe populace in a state of fear (9/11) and they can control all of us.
They want to keep us wrapped in "Michelin Man" suits, and we are too stupid to rebel.

i feel your pain, and i agree, there is no need for it.

But yeah, in most parts of the world its always been like this (always meaning since the Spetember 11th thang)

Last year i travelled to the UK and back 7 times, i flew over 110,000 MILES all in, and every time i got my passport checked, not just for the usual, but for the date of expiry.


i am sorry to hear of your ordeal though

[JimmyH155]

ok Doug, maybe you dont have any kids. Just wait till they tell you 2 days before they have booked a flight that their passport expires 5 months and 3 weeks after the departure date.
i tell you, it is traumatic, and luckily we live only 1 hour by train to Bris city. Last Thursday we travelled twice up the rail to the city - 1 hour each way that equals 8 hours for the two of us. If any of you guys are in the bush, NSW, far away, forget your travel plans.
you
will
not
make
the
flight
BEWARE

[andrew2008]

Sorry to hear you have been caught out but this has been in place for at the least the 4 years i've worked at an international airport. Still there are people who i come across who are unaware of this rule. Can't remember if it is actually stated on the passport application though.

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by JimmyH155

ok Doug, maybe you dont have any kids. Just wait till they tell you 2 days before they have booked a flight that their passport expires 5 months and 3 weeks after the departure date.
i tell you, it is traumatic, and luckily we live only 1 hour by train to Bris city. Last Thursday we travelled twice up the rail to the city - 1 hour each way that equals 8 hours for the two of us. If any of you guys are in the bush, NSW, far away, forget your travel plans.
you
will
not
make
the
flight
BEWARE

You've got it wrong mate - I'm in your corner. I too have been given the "This way Sir..." at Sydney airport due to unforseen visa/passport problems on the way back to Scotland (and yes, with 2 kids in tow).
It's a nightmare in which you are the helpless party! Like the dude said "you only have yourself to blame" but my point is that in some circumstances there is no malice aforethought, just ignorance of the red tape - one can be informed, but not cover every base!

[renormalised (Carl)]

This is why bureaucracies and govn's get away with blue murder. People either aren't informed enough of what rules are and/or they're not organised/vocal enough to do anything about it. Make yourself a nuisance to the right people often enough and something will be done about it...even if they might think it's a good idea to stuff people around like that.

[gary]

Hi Jimmy,

Sorry to hear of the last minute hassles.

As DFAT advises -

Do I need 6 months validity left on my passport before I can travel from and then re enter Australia?

Australian passports are valid for travel into and out of Australia regardless of the length of remaining validity. An Australian Passport remains valid until the expiry date.

It is the sovereign right of any country to control entry into their borders and this is usually done via visas or ensuring sufficient validity remains on the travel document.

Many countries require travellers to have at least six months validity remaining on their passports. Immigration authorities in some countries may refuse entry if you arrive with less than this.

Before travel you should contact the Embassy, High Commission or consular representative of all the countries you will be travelling to, or seek advice from your travel agent, to identify each country’s passport validity requirements.

Alternatively, renew your passport prior to travelling.

The good news is that these days the airline check in desks and the immigration
exit check points tend to be on the ball and at least warn you before you
get on the plane that your entry to the destination country is likely to be
denied.

This obviously can save time, money and a lot of anxiety.

Not all countries have the "six month's must be valid time left on your passport" rule,
but many have had it as long as I can remember (i.e. decades).

Rather than a post 9/11 security measure, it tends to have been a policy
enacted by some countries more to do with how long one can stay on a visa.
When you arrive, many places will give you a visa on the spot but want to
ensure the passport won't run out before the visa does.

So the restriction definitely does not originate from the Australian end.

[Barrykgerdes]

I once got into the UK for an undisclosed length of time on a passport that was due to expire in 8 weeks. No bother it was Green and I had it renewed before I left the UK.

Barry